Experience Sicily

Category: Food/Cuisine

  • Sicilian Fig Cookies For The Holidays

    Sicilian fig cookies for the holidays! Also known as cuccidati, cudduredde, and buccellati. Let’s make these together! Save the date: Friday, Dec. 17 in the evening (Eastern), an online workshop. Registration details to come.

  • Brown Cows In Sicily

    Modican cows are a beautiful breed that are primarily cultivated in southeastern Sicily. Their milk is used to make excellent cheese and ricotta. Note that the cannoli in Ragusa Province, where this photo was taken) are (more often than not) made with ricotta from Modican cows.

  • Happy National Espresso Day

    I like my espresso “macchiato.” That means with a “spot” of milk. It’s called caffè macchiato in Italian. How about you? How do you like your espresso? Happy #nationalespressoday

  • A Sea Of Sicilian Olives

    A silver sea of olive trees with the Mediterranean sea in the distance Between Castelvetrano and Menfi, Trapani Province Probably Nocellara del Belice species

  • A Special Doorway In Palermo

    This is a special doorway. A lazy-Susan, really. Put your money down with your sweets order, spin it around, and the cloistered nuns turn it back to you with your pastries. No face to face contact, but they speak to you through their ancient recipes. In Palermo, visit the Cloister of Santa Caterina of Alessandria…

  • Crispelle For San Martino

    November 11 is La Festa di San Martino, Saint Martin’s Day. Each province in Sicily celebrates differently. In the town of Chiaramonte Gulfi (Ragusa Province), citizens eat sweet and savory crispelle, like these made with fennel seeds, pictured, together with cooked wine. Importantly, the Feast of San Martino marks when wine makers taste the novello,…

  • Cannoli With Me

    Last weekend was wall to wall cannoli! Saturday I spent the afternoon making cannoli for a private cannoli making class at the Parker family’s home in New Jersey. It was absolutely wonderful! We all had so much fun getting our hands in the dough and our faces filled with sweet ricotta cream! Sunday, I hosted…

  • Pupaccene Sweeten The Day Of The Dead

    Sicilians have a profound appreciation for the delicate boundary between the living and the dead. November 2 is All Souls Day, better known as the Day of the Dead (Il Giorno dei Morti in Italian or in Sicilian, Un juornu re muorti). Traditionally, this feast, which follows All Saints Day, is spent recognizing one’s relatives…

  • World Pasta Day Is Every Day

    I must admit, in keeping with its name (the chef called it something like The Best Dish in the World), this was an unforgettable plate of pasta. Today is World Pasta Day, apparently. Well, at La Terrazza degli Dei, the restaurant at Hotel Villa Athena in Agrigento, every day is World Pasta Day. #worldpastaday